A Dark Carol
by C-Spider31
Summary: The Sith Emperor is visited by three spirits, who bring him visions of the past, present and future in an effort to warn him of his eventual death at the hands of a Jedi. But will he heed these warnings, or will he brush them aside? One-shot.


**Author's Note: Hey guys. I had to do an assignment for creative writing, and I figured I could upload it as a story. Basically, we had to do A Christmas Carol story but with any evil person in history or fiction. I decided to go with the Sith Emperor, since I thought it'd be fun to write an over the top villain.**

**Anyway, hope you guys enjoy!**

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><p>The Sith Emperor sat on his throne, his hands clasped together as he stared into space. He was thinking over his plans to invade the Republic. The Sith Empire's strength was growing, and soon it would be powerful enough to invade. He had hidden the true reason for the invasion, however. The masses believed that they were going to reconquer the galaxy and exterminate the Jedi.<p>

In truth, he was invading so he could destroy the galaxy.

He felt an odd tremor in the Force, and looked up. The air in front of him shimmered, and a blue apparition appeared, manifesting as a tall robed figure. His shoulders and chest were armored, and chains hung from his neck. He wore a helmet with two large horns protruding from it, and his face was that of a Sith Pureblood: a bony chin, two tendrils hanging from his cheeks, and dark red skin.

The Emperor knew who the spirit was. "Lord Ragnos," he said emotionlessly. His voice sounded as if multiple people were speaking at the same time. "An unexpected surprise."

"Darth Vitiate," the ghost of Marka Ragnos replied. "I come before you to bring a warning. You are one of the strongest Sith Lords to have ever lived; I remember when I crowned you Sith Lord, and granted you rule of the planet Medriass. I saw your potential, and I knew your ambition would serve you well. But the path you are following will lead you to destruction. Unless you take action, you will fail in your goals."

"Impossible. My preparations are centuries in the making," the Emperor replied. "My power is exponential. I cannot fail."

"You will be visited by three spirits," the ghost continued, ignoring his words. "They will show you visions of your past, present, and future. Visions are not a happenstance for the dark side. Be grateful that you are receiving these warnings."

The Emperor remained silent.

"What happens after you receive these visions is up to you," the ghost said, his pale blue form slowly starting to fade away. "May the dark side be with you, Lord Vitiate." And with that, the ghost vanished.

The Emperor sat at his throne and waited. If what Marka Ragnos said was true, then the ghosts would visit soon. He would wait for them. After all, what would a few minutes be to an immortal?

Minutes passed before the first ghost appeared, looking as pale blue as Marka Ragnos. He was also a Sith Pureblood, with short tendrils protruding from his cheeks and long, thin eyebrows. He wore black robes with no armor, and a double-bladed lightsaber hung from his belt. "My son," the spirit said, bowing to him.

The Emperor scowled. "Do not call me 'son,'" he said coldly. "I have transcended to a higher plane. I am greater than the being you created. So do not speak to me with familiarity. Now speak of what your purpose is."

Lord Dramath scowled. "Very well, my Emperor. I am here to show you visions of your past, to witness your rise."

"Then take me." The Emperor rose and walked to the spirit, stopping in front of him.

One instant, they were standing in the Emperor's throne room. The next, they were in a small hut in an open field. A Sith woman and man were shouting and arguing, while a small child stood in the doorway, watching the couple. His eyes were black, and his face was emotionless. The Emperor recognized the child as himself, at six-years of age.

"You kriffing harlot!" The man yelled, slapping his wife across the face. "I loved you! And then you admit that you cheated on me with Lord Dramath?!" He pointed at the child. "Tenebrae isn't even my son! You lied to me!"

"I'm sorry," the woman sobbed, raising her arms to shield herself. "But he's a Sith Lord. How could I have resisted-"

The father roared in rage and lunged at her throat. The woman choked for air, desperately trying to pry her husband's hands from her neck. But the man was too strong, and he forced the woman to the ground, breathing heavily. "Kriffing bantha fodder," he said angrily. "I'm going to-"

Then, the man's neck suddenly twisted to the side with a loud snap, and he slowly crumpled to the ground, letting go of the woman. The woman scrambled back from the body, gasping for air. She looked around, and saw Tenebrae in the doorway, slowly lowering his hand.

"Tenebrae?" She asked, her voice trembling.

Tenebrae turned to her, his face still expressionless. The Emperor could still remember the cold malice he had felt then. "He was trying to kill you. I stopped him." Tenebrae's face darkened. "But you betrayed our family. You betrayed him."

"Tenebrae?"

"Betrayal is something that must be punished," Tenebrae continued, walking towards his mother. "You must suffer the consequences of your actions."

"Tenebrae, please, stop-!" The mother raised her arms again as he approached her, slowly raising his arm again.

"I think that's enough of this scene," Dramath said, waving his hand. The scene dissipated into mist, and then swirled around them. "I would take you to when you first met me," Dramath continued, "but you also killed me then, so I'd rather not dwell on bad memories."  
>"Does it still shame you," the Emperor asked, "that a child held more power in one hand than you possessed in your entire body?"<p>

"Let's visit a positive memory, shall we?" Dramath said, his jaw now clenched. He waved his hand again, and the mist slowly morphed into another scene, this time on the top of a stone temple on the edge of a cliff. A large tundra stretched behind them, ice covering much of the ground. Below the cliff, icebergs drifted through the dark waters. Wind howled in the Emperor's ears. In front of them, two familiar figures occupied the roof. Tenebrae, now a teenager, knelt on the ground in front of Marka Ragnos, who studied him with the air of a king.

"This is when you were thirteen," Dramath stated. "Here on Ziost, you presented yourself before Marka Ragnos, the Dark Lord of the Sith and ruler of the Sith council."

"I kneel before you, my Lord," Tenebrae said, looking down at the ground, "to present my power to you, and hope you will entitle me with the title of Sith Lord. I may be young, but my ambition and strength are great."

"Indeed," Ragnos said, looking down on the young Sith. "Your strength in the Force is already stronger than most adult Sith can ever hope to be. I recognize your power, and I award your ambition. You will be ruler of your home world Medriaas. Now rise, Lord Vitiate, and claim your reward."

Tenebrae stood, a smug look on his face. Then the scene dissipated into mist once more, then reformed just as quickly, now back on the planet Medriaas. Lord Vitiate stood at the top of a skyscraper, his arms raised up to the sky. An arcane ring circled around him, glowing with ancient runes. A red aura seemed to emanate from Vitiate as he channelled his power. Below, the people fell to the ground and evaporated into nothingness, while plants and animals sagged and disintegrated. Red energy seeped from their bodies as they vanished, flying up into Vitiate's body. Vitiate screamed in agony as he absorbed the energy, his entire frame shaking.

"This is when you became immortal." Dramath whispered.

The ring disappeared, and Vitiate collapsed to the ground, shuddering. When he looked up, his eyes were glowing with darkness.

"Enough." The Emperor said. "I've lived through these events. What is the point of revisiting them?"

"To show you how you gained your power." Dramath swiped his hand, and the scene dissipated. Now they were back in the Emperor's throne room. "My time is done. The next spirit will show you your present." Then he vanished.

The Emperor stood in the vast throne room, waiting. Then, an old woman's voice spoke from behind him. "Pathetic. Look at you: a being devoted to nothing but death and destruction. The Force is wasted on you."

Turning, the Emperor looked to see an old woman in black robes standing there. Both of her hands were missing, and her eyes were completely black. "Your comments mean nothing to me. Compared to my power, you are nothing but a speck on durasteel."

"Perhaps that is true," the old woman said, "but nevertheless, the fact that you waste your power on the destruction of everything shows how much you've learned: nothing. Such a pity; you could have been so much more."

The Emperor remained stone-faced. "I am apathetic to your judgment, spirit. Now, show me what you must and be gone."

"Apathy is death." The old woman whispered. "Very well, Void. I am Darth Traya, Lord of Betrayal. I will show you your present, to show you the height of your power."

The scene shifted, rapidly shifting shadows until it reformed into a large city. The sky above them was a purple haze, flashing with lightning and thunder. "This is your capital world, Dromund Kaas," Traya said. "Here is the heart of the Sith Empire you have led for centuries. But all empires will fall in time."

The Emperor laughed. "You doubt the strength of my empire?"  
>"No. I've simply learned from the past." Traya replied coldly. "I am not afraid of you, Void," she continued as he bristled, "as Dramath was. How can I be afraid of someone who has the delusions of a madman?"<p>

"I am a god." He said.

Traya smiled. "Then why are you filled with fear?" The scene shifted again. Now they were in an underground facility filled with machinery. A stasis machine held a middle-aged man in dark robes. He had shoulder-length black hair, and his face was scarred with the outlines of a mask.

The Emperor suddenly tensed at the sight of the man, his hands clenching into fists. A primal hiss of hatred emerged from his mouth before he could stop himself.

"Revan, my apprentice." Traya observed, looking at the man in stasis with admiration and pity. "One of the few Force users who understood both sides of the Force, and was free from the restrictive codes of both the Jedi and Sith. There will never be another like him." She turned to him. "You locked him away, but you are still afraid of him, because he was the only true threat to you in centuries. He was one of the few that could possibly bring about your greatest fear: death."

"Enough!" The Sith snarled. "Spirit, bring about your great revelation, or else I will obliterate you from the Force!"

"What were you expecting?" Traya scowled, her tone now reproachful. "A surprise? Some secret that eluded you? Something that would change your perspective on events, that would shatter you to your core? There is nothing. And even if there was, how can I teach someone that has proven they cannot learn?"

They were suddenly back in the throne room. The silence that sat on their shoulders was an oppressive one. He glared at her. "Your words mean nothing." He whispered. "My power is infinite, and will continue to grow."

"Gaining power for the sake of power is a fruitless goal." She said. "For when it is stripped away from you, all that remains is a shell of a man, an addict who can no longer function." She looked away. "My time here has been wasted. The last spirit will be here shortly." She turned back to him. "If there is one thing you should learn from us, Void, it is this: death is inevitable."

And then she was gone.

The Emperor's hands trembled, unable to hide his fury. That spirit had provoked his anger, something that no one had done in a long time. Not since Revan.

"Sith." A man's voice spoke.

The Emperor whipped around, recognizing the voice at once. "You!" He hissed. "But you're still alive! You're locked away!"

"This is but a vision, Sith," Revan replied, his deep voice resonating in the hall. He was now wearing his mask - a red-and-grey Mandalorian mask - and he seemed to radiate an aura of power. "I am here to show you the future, and your fall."

"Impossible," the Emperor sneered. "I cannot fall!"

"But you will." Revan countered. The area around them suddenly vanished, and was replaced with a blinding light. The Emperor cried out and shielded his face from the glare. "The Force works in mysterious ways, but there will always be a balance," Revan continued. "Just as you are a creature of the dark side, there will one day be a champion of light to combat you."

As if in response to Revan's words, the blinding light seemed to intensify, and suddenly in his mind's eye, the Emperor could see two figures. The Emperor was lying on the ground, defeated, his soulless eyes staring up at nothing. A Jedi stood above him, a hood raised to hide their identity. Their lightsaber shone brightly as the Jedi held it above the leader of the Sith Empire, ready to strike him down.

"You will be defeated," Revan shouted, "and your fears of death will finally be realized! The galaxy will be saved from your corruption!"

"No!" The Emperor howled, and unleashed a wave of dark energy around himself. The vision went away from his mind, and Revan and the blinding light were extinguished. The Sith fell to the ground, suddenly feeling drained. When he looked up, he was back in his throne room. But he couldn't shake what he had seen.

_A Jedi will defeat me._

He had to prepare. He couldn't invade the Republic now, not when there was a chance of a Jedi being strong enough to defeat him. He had to keep biding his time, and ensure his immortality. Once he had done that…

...then he would realize his goal of the destruction of the galaxy.

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><p>Revan let out a mental sigh as he withdrew his influence from the Emperor's mind, feeling taxed. Even though he was in stasis, he was still aware of everything around him. The Emperor had forged a mental connection to Revan's mind to try and draw out the secrets of the Jedi and Republic. But it was a two-way connection. Just as he fought off the Emperor's probes, Revan could influence the Sith, though only subtly. What the Emperor had believed to be the visitation of three spirits had actually been Revan's manipulation of the Emperor's mind. <em>I've never tried anything that direct before,<em> he thought. _I doubt I could do it again._

Still, his goal had been achieved. He had once again delayed the Emperor's invasion of the Republic. And he would continue to do so, in the hopes that when he could no longer hold back the Emperor, the Republic would be strong enough to withstand the assault. But that wasn't the main reason he was fighting the Emperor. If he could keep the Emperor from invading long enough, it would be enough time to give a lifetime of peace to his wife Bastila and his son.

_I won't let them down,_ he vowed, drawing strength from the thought of his family, and renewing his war against the Emperor's mind.


End file.
